12 Concrete in Australia Vol 39 No 1
NEWS
Developing living concrete
A new biological concrete has been
developed in Spain to construct
"living" façades that improve thermal
comfort in buildings and help reduce
atmospheric CO2 levels.
e new concrete, which supports
the natural, accelerated growth
of pigmented organisms, was
developed and patented by the
Structural Technology Group of the
Technical University of Catalonia
(Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
BarcelonaTech).
e material, which was designed
for the façades of buildings or other
constructions in Mediterranean
climates, o ers environmental, thermal
and aesthetic advantages if compared
with other similar construction
solutions.
e innovative feature of this
material is that it acts as a natural
biological support for the growth and
development of certain families of
microalgae, fungi, lichens and mosses.
Having patented the idea, the team is
investigating the best way to promote
the accelerated growth of these types of
organisms on the concrete.
e goal of the research is to succeed
in accelerating the natural colonisation
process so that the surface acquires an
attractive appearance in less than a year.
A further aim is that the appearance
of the façades constructed with the
new material should evolve over time,
showing changes of colour according to
the time of year and the predominant
families of organisms.
In studying this concrete, the
researchers at the Structural Technology
Group have focused on two cement-
based materials.
e rst of these is conventional
carbonated concrete (based on Portland
cement), with which they can obtain a
material with a pH of around 8.
e second material is manufactured
with a magnesium phosphate cement
(MPC), a hydraulic conglomerate
that does not require any treatment to
reduce its pH, since it is slightly acidic.
In order to obtain the biological
concrete, besides the pH, other
parameters that in uence the
bioreceptivity of the material have been
modi ed, such as porosity and surface
roughness.
e result obtained is a multilayer
element in the form of a panel which,
in addition to a structural layer, consists
of three other layers: the rst of these is
a waterproo ng layer situated on top of
the structural layer, protecting the latter
from possible damage caused by water
seeping through.
e next layer is the biological layer,
which supports colonisation and allows
water to accumulate inside it.
It acts as an internal microstructure,
aiding retention and expelling moisture;
since it has the capacity to capture and
Simulation of a vegetated façade at the Aeronautical Cultural Centre in El Prat de Llobregat. Visual simulation made by Escofet.